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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A REPOST. I DIDN'T WRITE IT, AND I DON'T KNOW WHO DID. SOMEONE JUST SENT ME A LINK. NOT TRYING TO ADVERTISE PHOTOGRAPHERS NOR AM I TRYING TO GET ANYONE DATES! SIT BACK AND READ THROUGH, THIS CAN GET AMUSING. :)

Date a girl whose favorite sound is the click-click of the shutter as it closes and opens to capture a memory. Date a girl who sees the wonder in the simplest things. Date a girl who looks at the world and wonders how to put a little of herself in it.

You might find her in the park, lost behind her lens, the world a blur around her as she tries to capture a single moment in time. You might find her in an exhibit, a look of concentration on her face as she contemplates a photograph that called out to her as she was passing by. Or maybe you will find her in a bookstore, a book in her lap as she pores over photographs of weddings all the while wondering what hers would look like.

Take her out to photo walks and laugh as she tries to take a picture of you. When she gets tired of walking, buy her cupcakes but wait until she has taken pictures of them before proceeding to eat them. Listen as she tells you her ideas for a photo shoot on the ride home.

Take her to a restaurant and wait patiently as she surveys the menu carefully, appreciating the food photography. And again, wait until she has taken a photo of your food before digging in. Allow her introduce you to Ansel Adams while you both eat your lunch. Introduce her to your favorite musician as you wait for the bill to arrive. When you get home, change your Facebook profile picture into a photograph she took of you. She silently hoped for it.

Take stolen shots of her. Compile it and give it to her on her birthday. Tell her you love her over and over until your voice replaces the click of the shutter as her favorite sound. Kiss her after she lifts her head up from the camera. Give her camera-shaped necklaces. Go places with her.

You will never be bored again.

Date a girl who takes photographs. She will never whine about a little dirt on her favorite pair of jeans as she kneels down to get a better angle of her subject. She will never be afraid to take adventures with you. She will take photographs of you not just with her camera but with her mind as well and keep it to herself to admire at night. But above all, she will teach you how to look at the world with a brand new perspective and she will do that unknowingly.

Marry a girl who takes photographs. Ditch those wedding photography books and give her the most beautiful wedding you could. She will teach your kids to find the beauty in everything just as she had taught you. Every day will be an adventure as she tries to create photograph-worthy memories with you. She may wake you up in the middle of the night because she is buzzing with ideas but she will make it up in the morning with a stack of hot pancakes beside a steaming cup of your favorite coffee blend.

Grow old with a girl who takes photographs. Sit with her on the front porch as you both pore over the bits and pieces of the moments you’ve had together. Stroke her hair as you both relive the photo walks that you took and the places you have been when you were both young. Smile as you both reenact your clever wedding vows.

Date a girl who takes photographs because she will always see that “something” in the most “nothing” of things. She will never let anyone take you away from her like she never lets anyone steal her photos and that is just one of the evidences that she loves you.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Gleaming sun starbursts blind in my eyes
In a field of orange poppies you and I
Frolic voluptuous rolling hills
And for those sweet hours I swear time stood still

Backtrack! So mommy and pappy surprised Ninz and I with a Canon 550d after graduation. I'll never get tired of telling this story. On the day my sister Ninz and I were supposed to go and have our beach- breather at Crimson, we woke up to a camera bag with a red ribbon that we never took out until today and a card that said:

To our little girls,

We saved up for something both of you have always wanted. we pray that you will take care of this camera as you use it to document milestones in your life, miracles from the Lord, and works for the Lord. Use it to store memories that you'll treasure forever.

Enjoy your beach breather and mark it with fun, lots of laughter and overflowing with thanksgiving.

We love you dearly!

Love,

Mommy and Pappy

This camera came with a book that they won in a raffle.
It comes when you buy something from the store. It was the grand prize.

I especially loved their letter. Its the sweetest present I've ever received. To me, It was more than just a toy/ gadget/ tool. It was like a sign of loving support and encouragement, a message that they'll be cheering us on as we go and pursue the things we are passionate about. :)

ANYWAY, BACK TO SPRING FLING.

We thought of "practicing" a little bit so we could do this camera some justice.

So instantly we planned to do an exercise shoot, a mock editorial (also to rehearse for BLINDxx since none of us had professional styling experience we could use for the store). Our model? Chiara, because she's my cousin and she'll do anything for me! Haha! We wanted to think of a concept that would match our location (the vacant lot fronting their house), Chiara's personality, the expressions she's comfortable with, and lastly most of the clothes in my cabinet! :))

Chiara is a sweet pretty pixie, she always looks cute at pictures but she never got to model, not even unprofessionally, but she did an amazing job. it shocked us all. This was a two hour shoot, with three outfits. I brought along my outfits too just for look book shots, turned out I became one of Chiara's human props. haha. I've been told to get a look book account (ayeeee i wont pretend Im not flattered) but I guess I never will be able to, I just can't pose / project well, my life style is just not lookbook material and I barely have time. Oh thoseLook book girls are just love. <3

It was a fun afternoon. We slept over and the fun went on all night long! Here are photos from the shoot. Being the noob that I am, I used Picasa to post process the photos (thanks to Buddy for teaching me some photoshop hereafter!) I think we pulled off a pretty good job as first-timers. What do you think? :)

BTS!

You know what they say, just because you own a DSLR, doesn't mean you're a photographer. :)) Hindi porke't may DSLR ka, photographer ka na--- I actually liked this page on facebook. haha. Its just so true and funny and mean.
I'm no photographer, but I do love my work because It's in ways like these I get to tell stories and communicate how I feel.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

I submitted an article for Lantawan Magazine & Bro. Bela (editor in chief) urged me to publish it anonymously thinking it might be too offensive. I agreed, just because it sounded cool (woaaah anonymous!).Looking back, maybe I should've gotten a pen name! (oooh that would have been spicy! haha). Im publishing it here, just because I can. Just because I want to put a face behind my article. Just because, Im no longger a student.( \m/)

Here it goes:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"When faced with a problem, we don't only think of a solution. We use the problem to come up with an even better design."-- This is what my Design 3 adviser told me when I consulted him about my parking building dilemma three years, eighteen plates, one esquisse, and one thesis ago. (whew)

It would be much later that I saw exactly what he meant. A lot of the greatest breakthroughs in architecture came forth as a result of a pressing need. Gothic era's quadripartite vault transpired from the barrel vault because there was a problem of structural support, and so did buttresses. Brunelleschi's strutted, double- shelled dome was invented as a substitute to the conventional drum to serve as a deterrent to construction difficulties.Geometry was discovered as a basis for planning in the renaissance and would later make plans more functional, beautiful, proportional, interesting. Joseph Paxton's luminous, light, airy crystal palace ignited the era of pre-fabrication as a means of faster, and lighter construction through iron and glass. All these were design solutions that turned out to be architectural trends, catching on fast like lemonade sold on a hot day. The architects behind these innovations exceeded the expectations of their time- revolutionary!

Crystal Palace, ignited the industrial revolution

Brunelleschi's dome

In the long and rich history of architecture, every era, every period, every decade leaves an invaluable inheritance to the next. A lot of architectural principles during the Renaissance can be traced through subsequent architectural movements- from Mannerism, to Baroque, or Rococo, to Neo- Classicism, to Eclecticism, to Modernism, and to Postmodernism. The influence of Renaissance architecture can still be seen in many of the modern styles and rules of architecture today. The same goes with the Gothic era, the early Christian period, the Baroque, etc.

Now what's with "Parametric Design", "Smooth Architecture" and "digitally driven design" being dubbed as "the legacy of our time" ? I applaud the innovation behind this creative form- finding method. Aesthetics-wise, interesting. But what about climate? Won't those giant fish bowls increase heat gain inside buildings? And economy? Aren't we supposed to promote locally abundant and sustainable materials? The Philippines is a third- world country. Our needs are different. Our Social Issues are different. Therefore, the direction we must take must also be different. We can blame it on the internet and the many pictures of buildings that scream "copy me!" or we can blame it on us for wanting to be something we're not.

In one of our school's forums, A schoolmate once asked an international, Filipino, parametric design expert about the advantages of this innovation. I was heart-broken when the expert said:"Since your forms are unique, you get to attract more clients, and more clients mean more projects" True, but we should know better than luring our clients. We're suppose to educate them. The notion of the parametric and the potential network practices may need to incorporate more digital techniques in order to step-up to the challenge of the future while building on the recent past. If it isn't for that, then it's nothing but seduction.

If I may quote from Niccolai Ouroussoff: " The greatest influence of this trend, however, may be on a younger generation of architects. Reared in an era where there seems to be an irresistible supply of work, these architects often seem eager to build at any cost. And their facility with computer software can make it easy to churn out seductive designs without digging deeply into social truths."

Personally, this type of architecture is a legacy for legacy's sake alone: egocentric, proud and shallow. It is true that " Open-mindedness doesn't necessarily cause you to lose origin or culture". But culture or origin is not the concern of what seems to be "close-minded" people like me. Rather, it is purpose.

Wasn't architecture created primarily to provide for users' needs without jeopardizing the environment and the generations after us? Wasn't this what differentiated architecture from all other forms of art? Now tell me, what part of "service" does this twisting and tapering belong to? We are building habitats, not action figures. If we are brilliant enough to even think of leaving a legacy to the world, then, aside from the search of beauty, let's think of ways to increase the competence of our structures, not waste our time trying to make them look like ships, aircrafts, toys, or a scene from the Jetsons! The possibilities are endless: faster or easier construction, energy-saving features, cheaper resources, more functional building systems. The list is long.

Alessandro N. Tombazis, a noble Greek architect, said: "Architects by definition have to have a higher degree of egoism, otherwise they would not be creators. Within this vanity however, humility should be one of the guiding forces, otherwise we cannot serve, we cannot create understanding that what is around us is more important than our own selves."

What we need is a more meaningful legacy to leave the next generation with, especially at this age where change is most crucial. I want my generation of designers and builders to design for a reason, for a bigger purpose other than ego and aesthetics. I want us to humbly build in order to improve quality of life here on earth, that in its most beautiful form.

:)------------------------------------------------------------------On a much lighter note, I miss CAFA. sort of. These are photos from three years ago. :)

By the way, some time after thesis defense, Bro. Bela said he regretted making it anonymous :))Oh serious stuff. haha.

Get to know the Kat

The Kat's Meow is the design and fashion blog of Kathrynn Dawn-- an odd cross-breed of a melancholic idealist x feminist x renaissance girl. Apart from being a tree-hugging architect and junior furniture designer; she's an occasional writer, fashion stylist and is 1/2 the maniac behind the online Brand, Blind Clothing.